Hennessy Advisors Inc. Purchases 39,100 Shares of GSK PLC Sponsored ADR (NYSE:GSK)

Hennessy Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of GSK PLC Sponsored ADR (NYSE:GSK - Free Report) by 31.4% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 163,660 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock after acquiring an additional 39,100 shares during the period. Hennessy Advisors Inc.'s holdings in GSK were worth $6,340,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of GSK. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of GSK by 2.2% during the first quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 178,510 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $6,915,000 after purchasing an additional 3,822 shares in the last quarter. Stock Yards Bank & Trust Co. purchased a new stake in shares of GSK in the first quarter worth about $201,000. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. boosted its stake in GSK by 27.1% during the first quarter. Salem Investment Counselors Inc. now owns 2,348 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $92,000 after buying an additional 500 shares during the last quarter. Thomasville National Bank grew its holdings in GSK by 78.5% during the 1st quarter. Thomasville National Bank now owns 876,997 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock valued at $33,975,000 after buying an additional 385,556 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bard Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in GSK by 54.6% in the 1st quarter. Bard Financial Services Inc. now owns 122,245 shares of the pharmaceutical company's stock worth $4,736,000 after acquiring an additional 43,150 shares during the last quarter. 15.74% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

GSK Trading Down 2.6%

GSK traded down $1.03 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $38.70. The company had a trading volume of 5,177,644 shares, compared to its average volume of 4,889,379. GSK PLC Sponsored ADR has a 52 week low of $31.72 and a 52 week high of $44.67. The company has a quick ratio of 0.58, a current ratio of 0.87 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.21. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $38.32 and a 200-day simple moving average of $36.75. The stock has a market cap of $79.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.94, a PEG ratio of 1.42 and a beta of 0.52.

GSK (NYSE:GSK - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 30th. The pharmaceutical company reported $1.13 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $1.08 by $0.05. GSK had a return on equity of 48.82% and a net margin of 9.89%. The firm had revenue of $10.06 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $7.52 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.43 earnings per share. The company's quarterly revenue was up 2.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts anticipate that GSK PLC Sponsored ADR will post 4.14 EPS for the current fiscal year.

GSK Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, July 10th. Investors of record on Friday, May 16th will be paid a $0.4216 dividend. This represents a $1.69 annualized dividend and a yield of 4.36%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 16th. This is an increase from GSK's previous quarterly dividend of $0.39. GSK's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 87.11%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

GSK has been the subject of a number of research reports. Hsbc Global Res upgraded GSK to a "strong sell" rating in a research report on Monday, April 28th. BNP Paribas assumed coverage on shares of GSK in a research note on Tuesday, April 15th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $35.25 price target on the stock. Berenberg Bank reiterated a "hold" rating on shares of GSK in a research report on Tuesday, June 3rd. Finally, Wall Street Zen downgraded shares of GSK from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Friday, May 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, nine have assigned a hold rating and two have assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, GSK currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $37.38.

GSK Company Profile

GSK plc, together with its subsidiaries, engages in the research, development, and manufacture of vaccines, and specialty and general medicines to prevent and treat disease in the United Kingdom, the United States, and internationally. It operates through two segments, Commercial Operations and Total R&D.